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The NBA’s play-in tournament is set to begin on Tuesday, May 18th, and the odds for which team will win the NBA Finals are out. Below is a preview of the betting favorites, sleepers, and dark horses to make a run to the title as well as the full list of NBA Finals odds for the 20 teams still available. All odds are via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Favorites
The Brooklyn Nets are the favorites to win this year’s NBA Finals at +250 odds, which makes sense with the most talented trio of players with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. Brooklyn won each of their last five games to close out the regular season and have the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Los Angeles Lakers will be a part of the NBA play-in tournament on Wednesday night, but they have the second best odds at +400 and are the seventh seed in the West. They haven’t been healthy for most of the season, but there is currently nobody on the injury report, so it will be interesting to see how far LeBron James and Anthony Davis can take them.
Sleepers
The Utah Jazz have the best record in the entire NBA, but we can still consider them a sleeper based on where the oddsmakers have them listed. Despite a 52-20 record, Utah is tied for the fourth best odds at +700 to win it all. The Jazz have been playing without their leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, so they will need him to return at some point in the playoffs to have a real shot.
The Phoenix Suns have the NBA’s second best record at 51-21, but they are not receiving much respect from the sportsbooks with +1800 odds, which is seventh in the NBA. Phoenix has not been dominant down the stretch, but they won each of their last three games heading into the postseason.
Dark Horses
If you’re looking for a long shot to win the NBA Finals, why not take a look at the Golden State Warriors? They are in a four-way tie for the 12th best odds at +10000, but they’re about as hot as any team in the league right now. Stephen Curry has been unstoppable down the stretch as Golden State, which has the longest winning streak in the league at six games and won eight of nine games in May. They will start in the play-in tournament, but that’s what makes them a long shot.
The Atlanta Hawks are also among the teams tied with +10000 odds to win it all, and they have the same odds as the New York Knicks as the teams with the worst chance among teams not in the play-in tournament according to oddsmakers. Atlanta is the No. 5 seed in the East and won each of their last four games and lost just once this month.
Here are the odds to win the 2021 NBA Championship heading into the play-in tournament:
2021 NBA Championship odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Team | Odds |
| Brooklyn Nets | +250 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | +400 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | +500 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +700 |
| Utah Jazz | +700 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | +800 |
| Phoenix Suns | +1800 |
| Denver Nuggets | +3000 |
| Miami Heat | +3000 |
| Dallas Mavericks | +5000 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | +5500 |
| Atlanta Hawks | +10000 |
| Boston Celtics | +10000 |
| Golden State Warriors | +10000 |
| New York Knicks | +10000 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | +25000 |
| Washington Wizards | +25000 |
| Charlotte Hornets | +50000 |
| Indiana Pacers | +50000 |
| San Antonio Spurs | +50000 |
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